The Lenten Journey

The Lenten season is upon us again. It is a time for us to reflect and try harder to emulate our Lord and Savior Jesus. It can be a difficult concept to explain to children, I know this first hand as each year I try to explain this to my kindergarten cuties. For those of you with older children or students the following videos can be fun to share to help explain or start a conversation about the Lenten and Easter season. Enjoy!

 Below are some kid friendly ideas of what to give up OR do for the Lenten season:
  Things you could give up for Lent:

• Television (or certain shows)
•  Favorite foods (pizza, ice cream, etc.)
•  Soft drinks
•  Clutter
•  Certain books/magazines (read ones that will help you grow spiritually)
•  Social Media sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.)
•  Computer use 
• Negativity 
• Gossip
•  Lying 
• Procrastination 
• Social Networking 

Things to add during Lent:

• Going to Mass more than once a week 
• Praying the Rosary 
• Attending weekly Stations of the Cross 
• Making time for personal prayer with the Lord 
• Praying with your family 
• Going to Confession 
• Quiet time 
• Commitment to exercise 
• Being a better friend 
• Staying positive 
• Volunteering 
• Works of Mercy (feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, etc.) 
• Getting enough sleep at night 
• Being on time

Goodbye to February....

As we wrap up February we think about all different things we learned this month.  We learned about our body and the heart in Science, about Presidents in Social Studies, read Valentines stories, created fun Valentines for our family, and learned more about God and Jesus' love for us.  In an effort to summarize the meaning of love the Kindergarten class collaborated in writing a story to define what love means to them.  Check it out, in so many ways they are wise beyond their years.

Celebrating Our Presidents

Kindergarten was very excited to learn more about our Presidents.  Some things that we focused on during our study were:

• President Washington
• President Lincoln 
• Brief discussion on the Civil War
• President Obama 
• Where the Presidents lived
• What is the job of the President
• How many Presidents we have had in the United States

Here are some fun resources used during our exploration of Presidents:

President's Day Information

Kindergarten Social Studies


Other Resources (not used in Kindergarten):

Dear Parents...

(Reminders for the upcoming week)

First, due to the Multi-Culture Fair and schedule changes on the Thursday before our February break there will be no formal Valentines party.  The children will be able to exchange Valentines towards the end of the day and view a Valentines film.  If your child wishes to bring in Valentines for the class, please be aware that they must bring one for every classmate (11). 

Another important change is the 8^th grade carnation sale.  The deadline for flower orders has been extended to Tuesday February 11^th.  The flowers will be distributed on Wednesday February 12^th in case we get the snow they are predicting for the 13^th.

Lastly, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not forget about the class basket for the wine auction. 

This is one of the schools biggest and most profitable fund raisers.  Our class basket theme is Fairy Tales.  Each family is asked to donate either $20 to $25 dollars (and then I will go out shopping) or Fairy Tale items (such as Fairy Tale stories, toys, games, movies and stuff animals). Thank you for your support and help.

Stay warm!

Celebrating Our Catholic Identity During Catholic Schools Week

Why a Catholic Education?

It has  never been a tougher time to be a parent, which is why there's never been a more critical  time to choose a Catholic school.

"Community is at the heart of all Catholic education, not simply as a concept to be taught, but as a reality to be lived . . . Your students will learn to understand and appreciate the value of community as they experience love, trust, and loyalty in your school and educational programs, and as they learn to trust all persons as brothers and sisters created by God and redeemed by Christ."    Pope John Paul II

When parents choose a Catholic School for their children, it sets their children apart as a family so committed to their children's education that they are ready to make extraordinary sacrifices. Parents, by making the sacrifice necessary to send their children to Catholic school, show them education is a high priority. Catholic schools provide a loving, loyal environment where the entire community of parents, teachers, students, and parish is committed to academic and personal success. Here are some key reasons why to consider a catholic education:

Academics

• The national Catholic school graduation rate is 99.1% of high school students.  Of these graduates, 84.7% go on to college, compared to 44.1% of public school graduates
• Student achievement in Catholic schools for 4th, 8th and 12th grades was consistently higher than their public school peers  as indicated from standardized tests in math, reading, and writing.

Spirituality & Faith formation

• Catholic schools seek to prepare our children in mind and spirit during the most formative and vulnerable time of their lives so that they can live lives full of hope, joy, and peace, no matter what challenges they meet.
• Each day a Catholic school presents opportunities for students to put their values to use--in the classroom, at lunch/recess, and in extra-curricular activities.  Values and character are an integral part of a Catholic school education.  This prepares students to have the courage to live out gospel values in the workplace and society.
• Students explore their faith through classes and activities in Scripture, Sacraments, Church, and morality.
• Catholic Schools stress the faith centered values of self-discipline and commitment.
• Faculty and staff are role models who share their faith, their talents, and their time.
• Catholic Schools strive to create a strong sense of family/community among the students, the family, the school, and the Church. 
• Every child shares in an educational environment filled with love and concern
  a community joining together to help create a better world.  Each student is encouraged to live their faith by giving back to the world and make a positive impact on society. 

Personal Attention & Parental Involvement

• Because of smaller overall school size,  highly motivated and involved teachers and close parental involvement, each student receives special attention so that their needs are met.
• Catholic schools offer students a safe and supportive environment.
• Catholic school success depends firmly on the partnership of our parents, the first and foremost educators of our children, who provide overwhelming gifts of time, talent and treasure to our schools. Family input and involvement results in higher attendance rates and lower dropout rates.
• Catholic Schools develop the whole person, challenging each student to reach his or her fullest potential.

Original article found on straymondschool-downey.org
Sources: http://www.ncea.org/
 http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2005/02/02282005a.html http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/pdf/studies/2006459.pdf.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You See? I See A Kindergarten Class Learning About Me!

Polar Bears

It has been a very "beary" fun January! All this month we have been learning about different types of bears, wrapping up our bear unit with Polar Bears.  We started our unit by learning about the Brown Bear, also known as the Grizzly.  When learning about Brown Bears we discussed different habitats and then compared bear homes to our own.  After Brown Bears we learned about the Black Bears.  All throughout our unit we discussed important bear vocabulary, like: omnivore, carnivore, wild, hibernation, and habitat.  We wrote sentences, labeled bears, made bears and compared and contrasted each bear.  Learning about bears was very exciting! Next up is Penguins, we can't wait!

Below are some worksheets that aided us in our learning during this unit.

Brown Bear Life Cycle

Bear Position Worksheet

Reading

Write or Draw Facts

Its "beary" fun learning about bears!

During the month of January in Science kindergarten learns all about Brown, Black, and Polar bears.  We compare and contrast their habitats, lifestyle, and physical features.  This week we have begun learning about Brown Bears.  We have discussed hibernation and the eating habits of Brown Bears.  We were amazed to learn that Brown Bears can eat up to 50lbs of food a day and that mother bears have their babies in the winter time. Our favorite thing so far has been watching "bear-cams" and seeing bears in their dens during hibernation.